In the Shadows
by Urby
Summary: Takes place after "Lose Thy Self". "Shadow" finds a way to bring Colette back, will it work? (Complete)
1. Dreams

After a very long "rest period" I am writing again! Fuhuhu, the phoenix rises from the ashes! (Not really...)

If you haven't read Lose Thy Self or A Moment of Weakness, you're bound to get confuzzlated. You hath been warned!

**Disclaimer:** No, I don't own TOS. I just own a knack for whining that it'd be nice to. Whine, whine whine, cough wheeze choke, my poor finger on my left hand's been busted by a football, blah blah, yes indeed.

* * *

I swear the only thing we do on this quest is walk.

And, since it's the only thing we do, that's what we're doing.

I didn't walk up near the front like I usually did, but lingered around near the back this time. I needed to think.

The boy in red was with me, but that didn't help much. Seeing him reminded me of how meaningless I was, which wasn't very reassuring.

I halted, sensing foreign presence.

"Colette?"

I brought out my chakrams for battle. The presence was coming closer.

As I had predicted, a pack of Night Raids leaped out of the shadows, biting and snarling. Anyone prepared did their best to fight off the beasts.

I found myself standing in front of one of them, in a battle-ready pose but not doing anything. Why I had no idea. Perhaps the notion entered my mind these monsters might just be random animals defending their territory and we had done the bad decision to tread upon it. For whatever reason, I wasn't doing a thing, and neither was the wolf.

Well, yes, we were doing something, something among the lines of an awkward staring contest.

A magical lightning bolt flashed and struck the poor thing, which leaped up a few feet and yelped. It flung itself in my direction, too afraid to think straight and running away from the small fire that had lit on its tail.

As a reflexive action, a Pow Hammer materialized in my hand, protecting me. The jaws of the Night Raid closed themselves on it, making the most absurd squeaky noise. The wolf, clearly confused, ran off with the Pow Hammer still in its mouth.

"That would be all of them," the half-elf boy said, rolling up his chakram and putting it away.

"Everyone alright?" the other half-elf asked.

There was a murmur of agreement and much putting away of weapons.

The next thing I knew I was tottering, and then the ground rushed up to meet me rapidly.

* * *

"Professor? Is she..."

Raine knelt to examine the fallen girl.

"Of course not! She just fell asleep, that's all."

Lloyd sighed with relief. "That's good to know."

He cradled her protectively, and she smiled a bit in her sleep.

"She seems to be recovering well," Raine observed. "She's regaining the senses she'd lost."

Lloyd ran a hand through her hair absentmindedly.

"Sleep well, Colette..."

* * *

I opened my eyes groggily, aware I was dreaming. The atmosphere was different and I was in a place I'd never seen before.

"Awake?" a voice next to me asked.

I looked at the speaker, who was sitting next to a clear lake, gazing into the water. She...looked a lot like me.

"Colette?" I ventured, happily surprised by the fact I could talk.

"That would be me," she piped brightly, smiling at me.

A well practiced smile, I noticed. One that could get its owner away with murder.

"Siddown," Colette patted the earth next to her.

I obeyed hesitantly, almost afraid to be in the presence.

"What's wrong?" she inquired, noticing my nervousness.

I stared down into the water, noting how her eyes were so much brighter than mine. They shined with life, with purpose. My eyes were dull and dreary. I grabbed a rock from the bank and plopped it in the water, disrupting my reflection.

"Clueless being residing in this body until its true owner returns..." I sighed, remembering the nasty voice from day I ate the cookie. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even exist."

Our voices weren't even the same. Hers had emotion and smiled like she did. Mine was flat, boring to listen to.

Colette nodded in understanding.

"Meh," I said, moving on. "So where is this place?"

I looked around lazily, taking in the details. We seemed to be in a giant domed room, light coming from places I couldn't identify. A source of shade was supplied by a giant tree next to the lake/pond/body of water.

"I don't really know," the girl next to me answered. "I came here one day, and I haven't found out how to get out since."

"Huh," I managed, gawping at the water. "Must be really boring."

Colette shrugged. "It's given me a lot of time to think."

I looked around again, trying to see if anything looked familiar. "About what?"

"Stuff," she said firmly, and left it at that.

Shame, for some reason I wanted to keep talking.

"How is everyone?" she asked distantly.

"Okay, I guess," I responded. "No one died or anything."

"Good, it'd be bad if anyone did," she nodded, resting her head on her knees.

"Red boy got food poisoning," I added over the side to see her reaction.

"Lloyd?" she gasped, becoming more alert.

"Just kidding."

She was silent for a moment.

"You care about him a lot, don't you?" I smirked.

"Maaaybe," she said in a childly mischievous tone, flopping over on her side, purring madly.

"You're nuts," I sighed, addressing what looked uncannily like a melted puddle of happy girl.

"What about you?" she asked, tipping her head slightly.

"Me? Him? No! Of course not!" I nearly spat while shaking my head violently, wondering where that question came from. "I'm just a soul living in your body to keep it alive."

She blinked in confusion. I searched for something to compare it to. "Think...housesitting, but with souls."

"Aha," Colette nodded. "Funny...I thought you were just a part of me."

It was my turn to be confused as I stared at her with a blank look.

"Just a very small bit. As if a really tiny part of me stayed behind to watch out for my body, or something."

"I'm not anything like you," I said bluntly, looking away.

"Do you like dogs?"

"Well...they're okay. Their tails are cute."

"See? At least we have something in common."

I stared down into the water again. Our eyes, voice, personality were so different; they were like ones from entirely different people. I couldn't be related to her in any way.

_But...if I'm a random soul waiting for the true owner of this body to return, then why am I still here? I mean, I'm talking to the true owner right now, right?_

My thoughts were interrupted by a slight prickle crawling from my toes. When I looked, my feet simply weren't there. I screamed a few octaves higher than I'd give myself credit for.

"You must be waking up," Colette observed.

I looked at her in what I hoped was a "how-the-flip-do-you-know-that" kind of look.

She simply smiled and waved goodbye. "See ya."

* * *

"Prof? Is she awake?"

"I think, but she won't admit it yet."

I snuggled into the covers, feeling secure in them. They must have brought me to an inn while I was asleep.

"Colette, wake up!" The red boy, Lloyd, shook me.

I buried myself deeper in the sheets, unwilling to admit defeat.

"If she doesn't want to get up, you'll just have to let her lie."

"But she's been there for...I dunno, a really long time! A bit too long, I think..."

I shuffled to look out from my hiding spot.

"Hey there, Colette. You getting out anytime soon?"

I wanted to say something, but nothing came out of my mouth. I could only talk in the dream world then.

Suddenly getting an idea, I reached out for his hand. He held it out to me, waiting. I scribbled a few words into it, hoping I was going slow enough for him to understand. When I was finished, I let go of his hand, which dropped to his side listlessly.

I couldn't see his face from the position I was in, but I didn't really want to anyway. I was afraid of what I'd see...

"So...you aren't Colette?"


	2. Souls

**Return of the really lame random disclaimer skit thingy (Yey!):  
**Urby: Lalalalalah...  
Seldom: Whacha doin'?  
Urby: Lalalalalah...wo hey, Seld.  
Seldom: Like I said, whacha doing?  
Urby: Writing!  
Seldom: ...looks like you're playing solitaire.  
Urby: SPIDER solitaire!  
Seldom: ...and you're not even playing, just pressing the "hint" button and doing what it says...  
Urby: Wo hey, even the experts need help sometimes!  
Seldom: Speaking of which... (smacks with frying pan) DISCLAIMER!  
Urby: Waiii! Uhm...  
I don't own TOS and that's that.  
Seldom: ...  
Urby: You seem to be doing "..." a lot this skit.  
Seldom: I was expecting something...more...impressive.  
Urby: Deal, dood.

_If I am to dream, then I'm bound to wake...

* * *

_

"But...if you aren't Colette, then who are you?"

I retreated under the covers again, regretting my decision.

The woman's voice spoke up. "I think I've heard of this before...something about a Resident Soul..."

Both Lloyd and I simultaneously tipped our heads in a questioning fashion.

The half-elf flipped through a book that she was carrying with her at the moment until she got to the right page. "Resident Soul: a being created specifically to be housed in a body where its current owner, otherwise known as the True Soul, is unavailable for any reason."

She paused to let us take it in, or she lost her place on the page. "When a person leaves their body, a Resident Soul is found or created for them. Usually the Resident Soul does not make decisions while in them, but there have been cases that have done otherwise. While being housed in their new body, a Resident Soul may either take on a personality similar to the True Soul or develop a personality of its own and become powerful enough to reincarnate into another body."

I shifted, there was a draft in the room and it was getting a bit chilly.

"When the True Soul is ready to return to its original body, the Resident Soul either dies or reincarnates."

I nearly fell onto the ground in surprise.

"...Dies?" Lloyd choked.

"That's what it says," she finished, closing the book.

Lloyd sat down on the bed, covering his face. I snuggled back under the sheets, feeling uncomfortable.

"When will this cycle of suffering for someone else end?" he sighed.

She sighed as well. "There's nothing we can do about it. If you want Colette back, this little one here won't exist anymore. Most likely, at least."

Lloyd excused himself and left the room.

"So...when _are_ you going to drag your lazy bum out of bed?" The half-elf threw the covers off the bed and pulled me off of it. "The last thing you need to do is develop bad sleeping habits. Out."

I whined and did as told reluctantly.

* * *

"Heyla!"

I turned to look at the speaker, but no one was there. I shrugged and continued walking.

"Down here! Hey! I'm talking to you!"

I turned around and knelt to look at the speaker. It was the little yellow fox I heard the summoner refer to as "Corrine".

"Are you a Resident Soul?"

I nodded.

"You got a name?"

I shook my head.

_I'm just a shadow of a soul...shadows don't deserve names..._

Corrine blinked in thought.

"Shadow!" he blurted, bouncing in place.

_...What about my shadow?_

"That should be your name!"

_...If you say so..._

Corrine bounded up and down, trying to remember what he wanted to say next.

_How do you know about me being a Resident Soul?_

"I was listening to your conversation with the crazy lady...err, the Professor."

I looked at him blankly.

"..."

I'm getting really good at these staring contests, it seems...

Corrine wagged his many tails impatiently.

_And?_

"It turns out...I'm a sorta Resident Soul too!" Corrine jumped about.

_...So? How? And why are you so bouncy?_ I picked him up to have a better look at him._ Hyper little critter, aren't you._

"Sheena dropped me in a cup of coffee today. Anyway, like I was saying, since both of us are Resident Souls, that maybe I can help you."

I stared at him in surprise.

_Help me what?_

"I hear you talking, thinking, ya know, to yourself sometimes. You say things like, 'I don't deserve to live anymore', 'They should be together', and stuff like that. So, I was thinking, I can help you."

_Again...help me what?_

The small beast twitched and puffed up in frustration. "You, you no wanna live, want Colette to come back. Me, I help you do that. Got it?"

I chuckled, he did look awfully cute and silly looking like a yellow cotton ball.

"So...yes or no?"

_Yes, I'd like your help. But...how can you be 'sort of' a Resident Soul?_

Corrine grinned, revealing a nice set of pointy teeth.

"Wouldn't you just love to know?" he cackled, jumping on my shoulder. "Now...to the library!"

_Library? Why...?_

"We're in Sybak. There's a library. That's where we're gonna find out how to fix our problem."

_...I thought you knew what to do._

"Yes, I do," Corrine yanked on a strand of hair. "We go to the library, find out what we gotta do, and do it. Now off we go!"

* * *

"Sorry, library closed to general public," the guard drawled, placing a metal spear in the way. 

"Awww, man!" Corrine groaned softly, so that the guard couldn't hear. "Now what?"

_We insist,_ I told him, taking the spear and crushing it with my hand.

"Aha," Corrine nodded, playing along. He leaped onto the guard's chest, teeth bared, fur on end and barked, "We ain't general, and we ain't the pubic neither!"

The guard scrambled out of the way, clearly shocked. Corrine hopped back onto my shoulder, settling down. I tried to open the door.

_It's locked..._

"We could ask Mr. Scaredy Pants for the keys, but that's boring! C'mon, kick the door down! You can, can you?"

_Of course I can,_ I smirked, cracked my knuckles, and threw myself against the door. It crashed down, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake.

"Wow," the guard coughed. "I've seen it all now. Three-tailed talking yellow mice and this creepy silent girl who destroys buildings."

"I'm not a yellow mouse!" Corrine yelled.

"Hey!" the librarian growled, not looking up from a book he was scribbling in, which was much bigger than he was. "This is a library, be quiet!"

"Sorry!" Corrine whisperhissed.

"And fix the door, willya?" he sighed, scribbling some more in the book, acting as if people knocked it down every day.

_Where're some books that'll help us?_

Corrine sprung from my shoulder and started walking on the bookshelves, reading the book titles. Occasionally, he would pull one out and dropped it to where I stood, ready to catch them.

_Corrine! Stop! They're really heavy!_

Corrine looked at the quantity of volumes we had collected and agreed it might be enough.

"Huzzah, hardcore studying," he groaned.


	3. Rebirth

**Really lame random disclaimer skit thingy:  
**AeroSynn: Urby, Urby, guesswat!  
Urby: Whut?  
PyroSynn: It's December, dood!  
AquaSynn: And you know what that means!  
Urby: Again, whut?  
TerraSynn: ..., ...!  
AeroSynn: Aka, Advent Calendars!  
Urby: Oh yeah! Let's get our prize for the day...  
Seldom: Yellow Hello! (smacks Urby and the Synns with the frying pan) Write, durn you!  
Urby: Waiii! _This_ is a Christmas gift?  
Seldom: From me to you. NOW WRITE!  
Urby: Uhm...  
No own TOS I do, neither this crazed bee-yach.  
Seldom: A crazed _what_?  
Urby: Naughtin'.

* * *

"Here we go," Corrine beamed, pointing a paw at a place in the page. "Finally!"

_Finally indeed..._ I looked over to the pile of books we looked through and found nothing.

"Let's see..." he scanned the text, reading it aloud. "Some Resident Souls are caused when the True Soul leaves unwillingly. When this happens, the True Soul is housed in a special room called a 'Soul Room'. Each Soul Room varies from person to person..."

_Wait...wha? Soul Room? What's it look like? _I yawned so loud he turned his head to see what the noise was. Was that really weird room Colette was in a Soul Room?

Corrine snorted. "It says it's different for every person."

I shook my head to clear it; I was getting tired all of a sudden. _Is...there any way to get someone out of a Soul Room?_

Corrine looked over the passage. "Possible Location of of Rooms...Opening a Room...maybe that's what we want," he flipped to the appropriate page. "Once the location of a Soul Room has been identified, opening it simply a matter of finding what the door needs to open. Sometimes, the Soul Room is located somewhere within the body, but there have been cases where the Room was in other places, such as a prized doll, valuable possession, random rock they seemed to fancy..."

_...Uhm...do you get it? That opening the door thing?_

Corrine shook his head, which caused his bell to ring gently.

I yawned again, nodding off.

"Shadow, you okay?"

I wondered f the open book would make a good pillow.

"Hello? Shadow? Are you alive?"

I decided it was taking too much energy to keep my eyes open and let myself fall.

* * *

Corrine pulled on the girl's hair, trying to get her to wake up.

"Awww, man, Shadow, why'd you have to fall asleep on the book, now I can't read," he mumbled.

He tried rolling her head off the book, but it was determined to stay put.

"I'm...gonna need a bit of help," he thought to himself.

He trotted off to the inn where everyone was staying.

"Come again," the librarian said airily.

Corrine wandered across the street, dodging a few local children who wanted to tape him to a firecracker and "See what happens". He looked at the night sky, realizing how late it was.

Jumping through an open window, he found himself in a room where someone he knew was staying. He could sense the aura, it was one he recognized. It was radiating from a chair that wasn't facing him currently, but rather a crackling fireplace.

"Hello?" he called out. "Anyone awake?"

A shape shifted in the chair and it turned to look at him. Corrine gaped in fear.

"Noooo!" he screamed, dashing away.

"So you came!" Raine shouted. "I didn't think you'd come _willingly_...thought I'd have to _get_ you..."

Corrine tried to leap out the window, but Raine caught him in a butterfly net.

"Waiii!" Corrine cried. "Wh...what are you going to do with me?"

"Oh, just a few _harmless_ experiments, I assure you," Raine cackled, a mischievous glint in her eye and mad grin on her face. "Genis!" she called over to a shape lying in the bed, grabbing Corrine out of the net. "Get me my scalpel!"

"Naw. Threw it 'way," the shape answered, making a vague throwing, or perhaps a "go away" motion with his hand.

"You **WHAT**?!" she roared.

"Dun want you runnin' 'round with sharp objecks," the shape continued, too tired and too asleep to care pronouncing anything properly.

Raine looked as if she could swallow swords and spit out nails. "Stupid, good-for-nothing brother...raise him all these years and this is the thanks I get?"

"Ahem," Corrine coughed.

"Oh, right, you," Raine said in a calmer tone, regaining her composure. "I guess I'll just have to improvise," she sighed, taking a fork off the table.

Corrine bit her hand, unable to do anything else.

Raine yelped and nearly dropped him. "Okay, what do you want?"

"Shadow and I were at the library and she fell asleep, need you to get her."

"Shadow?" Raine asked.

"Named her Shadow," Corrine smiled.

"No, who is she/he/whatsit?" Raine shook the little Summon Spirit gently.

"The person in Colette!" Corrine said frantically. "And I prefer stirred, not shaken!"

"Oh..." Raine put him down. "Lead the way."

Corrine trotted off, the Professor on his tail.

"She's over there," Corrine indicated.

Raine put a hand on her shoulder, checking to see if she was really asleep. "Well, let's get you somewhere more comfortable, then," she sighed, picking her up.

Shadow mumbled and reached for the book she was using as a pillow.

"Huh?" Raine asked more to herself, picking it up. She scanned the page and looked at Corrine questioningly.

"We're trying to find a way to bring Colette back," he explained.

Raine shrugged and took the book to the librarian.

"That'll be all?" he asked, still scribbling away.

Raine noticed a tattered leather volume and picked it up. "What's this?"

"Oh, that," the librarian looked up, and then back down to his book. "It's a book of spells in the Elvish Old Hand. We can't read it."

"Can't all elves read Old Hand?" Raine put some hair over her ears hastily.

"Well, yes, but this is the old Old Hand, you know? The really _old_ kind. The one that only them crazy good archeologists can read," he continued, making some fiddling motions with his fingers.

"I see," Raine flipped through it, reading the first few pages. _Spells...?_

"Have it if you want," the librarian waved a hand. "Old, some pages are torn or missing, can't read it, and what we can makes no sense. I was about to throw it into the fireplace and be done with it, but you seem to be interested in it."

Corrine began to gnaw on Raine's robe to get her to move.

"Alright, okay, I'm coming!"

* * *

I opened my eyes slowly, hearing a voice.

"Shadow, Shadow, wake up," Colette whispered.

"WhereamI?" I screamed, bolting up.

"You're back in my place," Colette assured.

I blinked, remembering.

"I have to get out," I said, getting up.

"Why?" Colette asked carefully.

"I have to bring you back," I shouted, trying to claw my way out by attacking the wall. "Get you out of this stupid Soul Room."

Colette stared into the pool, not saying anything. I gave up trying to make a hole in the wall, my hands bleeding slightly.

"Why did you die?" I gasped.

Colette looked at me in a confused way.

"I mean, why did you sacrifice yourself?" I corrected hastily.

Colette gazed out over the pond, gathering her answer.

"If not me, then who?" she finally said.

"Don't you want to go back, see everyone again?" I questioned in a tone a bit more sour than I'd intended, wiping my hands on the grass.

"Of course I do," she said softly. "But if I do, then you'll die, won't you? I...I don't want that."

"I don't care if I die!" I yelled, tearing to grass underneath me to pieces. "I've served my purpose; it's time you've returned!"

Colette stared blankly at me in shock. The water in the pool rippled violently. "I...can wait a little longer," she breathed, her eyes glistening.

"What the..." I backed up, afraid. "What's in that thing?"

Colette shook, using her hands to cover her face. She tried to answer me but it came out a strangled sob.

"Run, fool!" I cried, grabbing her and fleeing from the tidal wave that was rising from the water.

Colette tore herself away from me.

"What are you doing? You'll drown in that thing!"

"It doesn't matter!" she shrieked. "We'll both drown anyway, there's no way out of this place!"

I opened my mouth to say otherwise, but the wave crashed down upon us.

_Blegh...it's salty, but not as salty as seawater should be..._

I tried to remember what could be salty and not be saltwater. I clawed at my head, hoping it would make me think faster. I was blacking out, running out of air. _What a pathetic way to die..._

It didn't matter, because I woke up, back in the inn.

_What happened to Colette? Is she alright? If she drowns in the Soul Room, does her soul die?_

I sobbed quietly, tears running freely. I tried to get them to stop, but they ran down my face, a few dribbling into my mouth.

_Wait...salty, but not so salty...the water must have been..._

I buried my face into the pillow, crying tears that weren't mine. I cried the tears of a girl who was tired of lying to herself, to others. My heart ached, but I couldn't figure out why, as I didn't care about my outcome, I just wanted the true owner to come back.

She spent so much time crying it accumulated into a lake-it sounded farfetched but it was true. Now that I thought about it, it was kind of funny.

I shook my head to clear it, wiped my eyes roughly with a hand, and collected myself. Colette was still alive, because she was channeling her emotions through me. But how long she'd last, I didn't know. I had to open the Soul Room and get her out.

"Once the location of a Soul Room has been identified, opening it simply a matter of finding what the door needs to open."

_But where is it?_ I screamed in my head. _It could be anywhere!_

There were a lot of things in the room I was currently in that I would of like to rip out of frustration, but there wasn't any time.

I began crying again, this time tears of utter hopelessness. They were partly mine, and partly hers, both of us truly believing that there was nothing we could do. There was that heartache and dark.

"Heart." Something, someone, said. The voice didn't sound like anyone I knew, but the word brought me to my senses. Yes, it must be! Colette's feelings were strongest there, that was where she had to be.

Now all I needed to do was "figure out how to open it", whatever that meant.

Unable to keep still, I left my room, wandering. Another door was slightly open, and I could hear some chattering. I poked in nervously.

Fortunately, it was just one of the half-elves sleep-talking. No one was awake. I was about to leave when I saw something glowing in a corner.

_What's that...?_

I procured the item from its hiding place. It was the unicorn horn, and it shined like mad. It glowed even brighter when I held it.

_Open the door...with this?_

_You coward! You wouldn't!_

That voice from Cookie Day. That nasty, terrible voice.

The unicorn horn vibrated, as if encouraging me. I held it, emboldened.

_I will do it!_

_You will not!_ The voice shouted in my head, sending a jolt of pain throughout my body. My hands flew to my head, trying to stop the pain, but it didn't work. The unicorn horn dropped to the floor, making a small chime sound.

"Shadow!" Corrine whispered urgently. "What's wrong?"

I reached for the unicorn horn weakly, blacking out from the pain. Corrine picked it up and plopped it in my lap.

"Shadow, what are you going to do with that?" he asked fearfully.

I petted his head, stroking his ears. _I really don't know myself...but I have to..._

I picked up the horn from my lap, steadied my trembling hands, and drove the thing into my chest.

* * *

There were two screams that night-both seemingly from the same person, at the same time. One was of pain, of shock. The other was one of triumph.

"Shwaaaa?" Lloyd groaned, rubbing his head. "That voice...sounded like..."

"Colette!" a feminine voice cried.

He bolted instantly out of his bed and ran to the scene, the breath catching in his throat.

"No..." he breathed, crumbling beside the still shape.

Raine stood beside him, her hair conveniently covering her face. "She's still alive...miracle, isn't it?"

"Who could have done this?" Lloyd choked, gathering her in his arms.

"She must have done it herself," Raine said slowly, as if doubting her own words. "If someone wanted to kill her, they wouldn't drag her all the way to our room."

"That damn Resident Soul!" Lloyd growled.

"No," a petite shape piped. Corrine stepped out from his hiding place, wagging his tails. "She was only trying to help!"

"Come to think of it...the unicorn horn can't hurt anyone, even if used as a weapon," Genis commented.

Everyone turned to him, thinking he was asleep.

"I mean, its purpose is to heal, right? Even if it was stabbed through someone, it heals as soon as you pull it out and purifies the wound. However, it doesn't guarantee it heals properly. Might heal wrong, be weaker than it was."

"Where'd you get all that?" Lloyd inquired dumbly.

"Magic," the little mage replied, too lazy to explain, and feel back to sleep, forgetting the whole incident.

"Whatever, wherever, he has a point. We don't know why...Shadow did this, but all we can do now is take the horn out and hope she recovers."

* * *

"Doctor!" a blue-haired student cried, bursting into the library. "The Chimaera...she's..."

"Say no more," the librarian, and apparently also a doctor, said, putting his quill in the ink pot and grabbing his coat. "I've been waiting for this for a long time."

"No doubt you have, doctor," the student agreed.

They arrived in the room that housed the captive Chimaera.

"Here's the little one," a red-haired undergraduate whispered, holding out a small bundle.

The doctor examined it. "It's not breathing. Do something!"

Before anything could be done, a small, still wet, blackish-grey paw rose up, almost defiantly. A meow, squeaky and raspy, came from the bundle.

"**It's alive!**" the doctor cackled, and a strike of lightning flashed.

"Where'd the lightning come from?" the blue-haired girl asked her friend. "It's a clear sky."

"You, what're your names?" the doctor whirled on the two students.

"Uhm, I'm Azure, sir. This is Garnet." The blue-haired one answered.

"What do you two do here?"

"We're assistants in the Potentially Dangerous Creatures wing," the redhead replied. " Lot of grunt work-putting away files, quite boring."

"I place it under your care until it grows to its proper size," the doctor commanded. "Dismissed!"

* * *

Colette twitched, stretching. She had the impression she had been sleeping for a long time.

"Colette!" a weary voice exclaimed, and the next thing she knew she was wrapped in a hug by an ecstatic and relieved Lloyd.

"Lloyd, you're hurting me," she said softly.

"I can't help it if I'm glad to see you," he chuckled, untangling himself and looking into her eyes. "Colette, it's really you, thank god," he hugged her again.

"What happened?" she noticed she was bandaged up across her chest.

"Well, you got stabbed in the heart with the unicorn horn, Corrine said something about someone trying to bring you back, and apparently it worked," Lloyd answered.

Colette shifted, disrupting a small black and grey shape near her.

"What's this?" she asked, picking it up. It looked like a wild kitten, with small ebony wings sprouting from its back. On its head was a golden mane that looked amazingly like a girl with her hair down, but the most prominent feature on the beast was its eyes, a dull shade of blue that shined with a humanlike understanding.

"You're awake?" Raine smiled, entering the room.

"Hello, Professor," Colette waved. "What is it?" she asked, holding up the kitten.

"The university said it was a Chimaeracore, some Chimaera and Manticore crossbreed," Raine explained, kneeling beside the bed. "As soon as it opened its eyes it rushed over to be with you, for some reason."

Colette caressed its head, stroked its feathers, and watched it purr and wriggle around with delight.

"Does it have a name?"

"It's not an 'it'," Raine took the creature and examined it. The poor thing struggled a little, nervous being...looked at. "Girl."

"You're going to see if your naming magic works on cats too?" Lloyd laughed.

"Yes, I have the perfect name," Colette held the kitten up, looking into her eyes, which looked back with that unanimalike intelligence. "This one...is Shadow."

* * *

**Author's parting notes:  
**Huzzah, ph33r me goofing up the storyline. Muhaha.  
Can't seem to imagine Shadow as a Chimaeracore through my description? (which isn't surprising, I mean, I can't describe for beans) then just waltz over to my profile, go to my homepage, slap the icon that says "Pics", and view the "Visual Aids". You can mess around some other parts of my site, run around, look and see what's in that crazay mind of mine, eh? You know you wanna... (If you can find Cookie Man, I'll let you eat him, heheh! Nah, I was thinking of doing that...)


End file.
